Polymerization method for preparing conductive polymer

ABSTRACT

A improved process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion is provided as is an improved method for making capacitors using the conductive polymer. The process includes providing a monomer solution and shearing the monomer solution with a rotor-stator mixing system comprising a perforated stator screen having perforations thereby forming droplets of said monomer. The droplets of monomer are then polymerized during shearing to form the conductive polymer dispersion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to pending U.S. ProvisionalPatent Appl. No. 61/590,381 filed Jan. 25, 2012 which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention is related to an improved polymerization methodfor preparing conductive polymer dispersions and an improved solidelectrolytic capacitor formed thereby. More specifically, the presentinvention is related to the preparation of an improved conductivepolymer dispersion with controllable particle size, specifically aparticle size below about 100 nm, without additional post polymerizationhomogenization.

Solid electrolytic capacitors are widely used throughout the electronicsindustry. In high voltage applications, solid electrolytic capacitorswith a solid electrolyte, formed by conductive polymer dispersions, giveexcellent high voltage performance compared to conductive polymercathodes formed in-situ. These conductive polymer dispersions areprepared by a number of process steps including polymerization,purification, filtration, homogenization, evaporation, etc. Descriptionsof these processes are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,300,575; 7,990,684;7,270,871 and 6,000,840; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0049433 andPCT Publication WO 2010/089111 each of which is incorporated herein byreference.

Capacitors and methods of making capacitors are provided in U.S. Pat.Nos. 7,990,683; 7,754,276 and 7,563,290 each of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The production process described in the prior art has the disadvantageof additional process steps, such as high-pressure homogenization, whichare required to lower the particle size of the dispersion.

Polymerization of conductive polymer dispersion reactions are reportedto be performed by various mixing methods such as magnetic stirring,stirring with agitators, high shear mixing and ultrasound irradiation.All of these mixing methods, except ultrasound irradiation, produceparticle sizes in the range of 150-400 nm. A post polymerizationhomogenization is done after the polymerization to produce particlesizes below 150 nm.

Ultrasound irradiation is claimed to produce particle sizes below 100 nmdirectly during the polymerization. Although ultrasound inducedpolymerization has been used for many decades in synthetic polymerchemistry, this method of polymerization has not yet reached industrialmaturity. Scaling up of ultrasound-induced polymerization istheoretically possible but issues, such as the efficient creation ofcavitation bubbles, are difficult to achieve on an industrial scale. Afurther limitation to the application of ultrasound is the fact thatseveral effects, such as radical formation and polymer scission orpolymer degradation, may take place simultaneously which affects thelong term performance of the polymer.

In all of these polymerization processes, there was neither a discussionnor a proposed method to control particle size during the polymerizationmethod. Controlling the monomer droplet formation is very important tocontrol the particle size. In various applications, such as a conductivepolymers in solid electrolytic capacitors, there is a need fordispersions with various and controlled particle sizes. It would beadvantageous if the polymerization could be controlled so as to controlparticle size or tune the particle size for a given application.

Thus, there is a need for a process for preparing conductive polymerswith controllable particle sizes and with a lower particle size withless process steps without adversely affecting the polymer and deviceperformance.

Commercially available intrinsically conductive polymer (ICP)dispersions are known. An exemplary ICP is polyethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDT: PSSA) dispersion, whichis commercially available as Clevios P from Hereaus, which arestabilized by electrostatic or ionic stabilization with polycationsstabilized with polyanion. Commercially available formulated ICPdispersions such as Clevios KV2, which is also commercially availablefrom Hereaus and commonly used for solid electrolytic capacitors, arebased on these types of ionically stabilized ICP dispersions.

There are several disadvantages for ionically stabilized dispersionsincluding coagulation or gel particle formation of the higher solidsdispersions over storage. In addition any changes in the electrolyteconcentration could cause coagulation or gel particle formation. Due tothe above disadvantages, some of the commercial formulated ICPdispersions have to be restabilized in some cases by more energy inputinto the system. The process of restabilization affects the performanceas well as processing cost. Another aspect of the formulated ICPdispersions is that polymeric binders are added to the post polymerizeddispersion to improve the coating performance for solid electrolyticcapacitors. The presence of any unwanted electrolytes or ionics in thesebinders can affect the stability of the dispersion as well as affect thelong term performance of the device. Electrostatic stabilization isknown to have some disadvantages over other methods of stabilization asdescribed in Polymeric Materials Encyclopedia, CRC Press, Vol. 1, Page8025.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved method offorming conductive polymer.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method ofpolymerization, particularly, a polymerization process in which theparticle size is controlled in a rotor-stator mixing system.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved method ofpolymerization, particularly, a polymerization process in which theparticle size is controlled by the choice of the perforated statorscreens in a rotor-stator mixing system.

Another object of the invention is to prepare submicron droplets ofmonomer during the polymerization by using stator screens with holediameters of no more than about 6 mm, preferably no more than about 2mm, and even more preferably no more than about 1 mm.

Another object of the invention is to prepare submicron droplets ofmonomer during the polymerization by using stator screens with multiplestator holes and preferably higher than 90 holes.

Another object of the invention is to prepare conductive polymerdispersions with a controllable particle size below 200 nm.

Another object of the invention is to prepare a conductive polymerdispersion with a mean particle size below about 100 nm.

Another object of the invention is to prepare a PEDOT:Polyanion polymerdispersion with a mean particle size below about 100 nm.

Another objective of the invention is to prepare solid electrolyticcapacitors with PEDOT dispersion coatings with particle sizes belowabout 100 nm

A particular advantage of the invention is provided by decreasing thenumber of process steps. Another advantage is a scalable industrialprocess which can produce uniform particle size.

These and other advantages, as will be realized, are provided in aprocess for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion. The processincludes providing a monomer solution and shearing the monomer solutionwith a rotor-stator mixing system comprising a perforated stator screenhaving perforations thereby forming droplets of said monomer. Thedroplets of monomer are then polymerized during shearing to form theconductive polymer dispersion.

Yet another embodiment is provided in a process for preparing aconductive polymer dispersion. The process includes providing a monomerand mechanically mixing the monomer to form droplets comprising themonomer. The droplets of monomer in are polymerized by an oxidizerthereby forming conductive polymer particles with a particle size of nomore than 200 nm. In a particularly preferred embodiment the conductivepolymer is used as the cathode of a capacitor.

Yet another embodiment is provided in a method for preparing adispersion of conducting polymer. The process includes providing asolution comprising a monomer and a polyanion. The solution is shearedat a shear rate of at least 10,000 to no more than 800,000 sec⁻¹ to formdroplets. The droplets are mixed with at least one oxidizing agentthereby polymerizing the monomer in the droplet to form the dispersionof polymer.

Yet another embodiment is provided in a method of forming a capacitor.The process includes providing a solution comprising a monomer, apolyanion and a steric stabilizer and shearing the solution at a shearrate of 10,000 to 800,000 sec⁻¹ to form droplets. The droplets are mixedwith at least one oxidizing agent thereby polymerizing the droplet ofmonomer to form a polymer. An anode is provided with a dielectric overthe anode and a cathode of the polymer is formed on the dielectric.

Yet another embodiment is provided in a method of forming a capacitor.The method includes providing a solution comprising a monomer, apolyanion and a steric stabilizer and shearing the solution at a shearrate of 10,000 to 800,000 sec⁻¹ to form droplets which are mixed with atleast one oxidizing agent. The droplets of monomer are polymerized. Ananode with a dielectric over the anode is provided and a cathode of thepolymer is formed over the dielectric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a mixing impellor used incomparative examples.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a high shear impellor used incomparative examples.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of square hole perforated statorscreen used in inventive examples.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a circular hole perforatedstator screen used in inventive examples.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of part of an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5A is a schematic perspective bottom view of a portion ofembodiment of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective bottom view of a portion of a mixer ofthe invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flow diagram of material in a mixer of theinvention.

FIG. 8 is a graphical illustrations of advantages of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart representation of an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention is related to an improved polymerization methodfor conductive polymer dispersions. More particularly, the presentinvention is related to the use of perforated stator screens preferablywith equivalent hole diameters of at least 0.25 mm no more than about 6mm, more preferably no more than about 3 mm an even more preferably nomore than about 2 mm and even more preferably no more than about 1 mm tocontrol the monomer droplet size during polymerization. The perforationspreferably have minimal dimensions of at least 1.0 mm to no more than3.0 mm and more preferably at least 1.2 mm to no more than 2.5 mm.

The improved polymerization method eliminates the need for postpolymerization homogenization steps. The improved polymerization methodusing the preferred stator screens provides a uniform droplet sizeresulting in average polymer particle sizes below about 200 nm, morepreferably 150 nm and even more preferably below about 100 nm.

It has now been found that, surprisingly, conductive polymer dispersionshaving a lower, and controllable, particle size can be prepared duringpolymerization, without additional process steps, when thepolymerization is carried out using a rotor stator mixing system withperforated screen stators preferably with hole diameters below about 6mm. The dispersion may further comprise at least one polyanion.

The invention will be described with reference to the various figureswhich are an integral, non-limiting, component of the disclosure.Throughout the various figures similar elements will be numberedaccordingly.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate prior art mixing impellors which offer poorcontrol over particle size of the polymer.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate stator screens, 10, with square holes, 12, andcircular holes, 14. The stator screens, 10, are cylindrical and arrangedrelative to a paddle impellor in an orientation such that material willbe forced through the stator screen thereby imparting shear on thematerial. The stator screens diameter selected to provide sufficient tipspeed to achieve sufficient shear. Tip Speed is defined as:

Tip speed=π×D×N

wherein:π is a known constant which is the ratio of a circle's circumference toits diameter;D is the equivalent diameter of the rotor.N is the rotation rate of the mixer. As illustrated in FIG. 8, thelarger the hole size the higher the rotation rate must be to achieveadequate shear and particle size wherein 3000 rpm represents a shearrate of about 21,800 sec⁻¹; 6000 rpm represents a shear rate of about43,600 sec⁻¹ and 10000 rpm represents a shear rate of about 72,600sec⁻¹. FIG. 8 also illustrates the relation between particle size androtational speed using Silverson lab mixer L5MA with a rotor diameter of1.2 inches, stator screen with large (6 mm), medium (2.4 mm), and small(1.6 mm) holes.

Shear rate is defined herein as the tip speed/rotor stator gap. By wayof example, For a rotor diameter of 1.25 inches and rotational speed of6000 RPM, tip speed is 42 ft/meter. With rotor gap of 0.009 inches,shear rate is calculated as 51000 sec⁻¹. The shear rate is preferably atleast about 10,000 to 800,000 sec⁻¹ and more preferably at least 40,000to 75,000 sec⁻¹.

Rotor/stator mixers are comprised of a rotor turning at high speedswithin a stationary stator. As the blades rotate, materials arecontinuously drawn into one end of the mixing head and expelled at highvelocity through the openings of the stator. The resulting hydraulicshear reduces the size of suspended droplets. Inline high shear mixersare used in an inline configuration wherein they behave like acentrifugal pump. The basic single-stage inline high shear mixerconsists of a four-blade rotor that turns at high speeds within astationary stator. Rotor tip speeds between 3,000 to 4,000 ft/min aretypical. Rotor/stator mixers are offered with a variety ofinterchangeable stator designs.

The “multi-stage” rotor/stator consists of 2-4 rotor/stator pairs nestedconcentrically, mix material moves outward from the center of themulti-stage unit, and it is subjected to a quick succession of shearingevents. Example of the multistage rotor/stator mixer are the ultrahighshear rate mixers. The X-Series head from Charles Ross and Sons andexemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,596, consists of concentric rows ofintermeshing teeth. The droplets enter at the center of the stator andmove outward through radial channels in the rotor/stator teeth. Thecombination of extremely close tolerances and very high tip speeds(11,300 fpm or higher) subjects the droplets to intense shear in everypass through the rotor/stator. The gap between adjacent surfaces of therotor and stator are adjustable from 0.010″ to 0.180″ for very highshear rates such as 750,000 sec⁻¹.

The MegaShear head, exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,472, is capableof the highest peak shear and throughput levels. It consists of parallelsemi-cylindrical grooves in the rotor and stator towards which productis forced by high velocity pumping vanes. Different streams are inducedwithin the grooves which collide at high frequency before exiting themix chamber.

Such high shear batch, inline, single stage, and multistage rotor-statormixers are available from various vendors including Charles Ross & sons,Silverson, etc.

The creation of a small particle sizes during polymerization involvesgenerating small droplets of monomer through a combination of mechanicalenergy using a rotor-stator mixing system to manipulate the droplet sizewith an appropriate choice of perforated stator screens, with specificholes having specific equivalent diameters. It is preferable tostabilize the resulting droplets with surfactant. In conventionalpolymerization the monomer droplets are large which limits the particlesize of the polymer. The instant invention includes a mixing system inwhich the mixer produces intense hydraulic shear wherein the monomerdroplets are forced through perforations in the stator screen therebyreducing the monomer droplets into very small droplet sizes. The verysmall monomer droplets are stabilized by polyanions and thepolymerization is believed to be initiated around the monomer dropletwherein the droplet size during polymerization is correlated to thepolymer particle size.

Another advantage of this process is that conductive polymer dispersionswith higher viscosity can be prepared effectively with the method ofthis invention. This is advantageous due to elimination of the step ofevaporation typically required to achieve a viscosity suitable forforming a conductive coating as the cathode of a solid electrolyticcapacitor.

When the polymer dispersion is to be used to form the cathode of acapacitor the viscosity of a polymer dispersion must be sufficientlyhigh to adequately cover the corners and edges of the underlyingdielectric. Unfortunately, conventional polymerization techniques aremore effective in producing low viscosity dispersions. It has thereforebeen standard practice to form the polymer at a lower viscosity followedby evaporation to achieve a suitable viscosity. The present inventionavoids this by allowing for polymer dispersion formation at higherviscosities.

The viscosities of the polymer dispersion is preferably at least 200cP@20 RPM to no more than 4000 cP@20 RPM at ambient temperature andpreferably at least 2000 to 4000 cP@20 RPM at ambient temperature.

The polymer dispersion preferably has a percent solids of at least 1.0wt % to insure adequate viscosity. More preferably, the polymerdispersion has a percent solids of at least 1.3 wt % to no more than 5wt %. Above about 5 wt % the dispersion does not flow adequately forforming a conductive layer. More preferably, the polymer dispersion hasa percent solids of at least 1.7 wt % to no more than 3.5 wt %.

The dispersion, and polymerization preferably occurs at a temperature ofat least about 15° C. to no more than about 35° C. Below a temperatureof about 15° C. the polymerization rate is very slow and above about 35°C. conductivity and viscosity can be adversely affected.

Though not limited thereto, the present invention is particularlysuitable for use in forming conductive polymers of polyanilines,polypyrroles and polythiophenes each of which may be substituted. Aparticularly suitable monomer for demonstration of the teachings hereinis 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene wherein beta-site polymerization isblocked.

A criteria for polymeric steric stabilizers for ICP dispersionpolymerization is that they must be stable during low pH polymerizationconditions, stable to oxidizing agents, and that they do not interferewith polymerization of the monomer. An exemplary steric stabilizer is ahigh molecular weight polyethylene oxide and their copolymers which arepreferred as the steric stabilizer due to their stability in low pHreaction conditions. Another exemplary steric stabilizer is polydimethylsiloxane-polyethylene oxide (PDMS-PEO) block copolymer. An advantage ofthe PDMS-PEO copolymer is that the PDMS block could provide moistureresistance in addition to steric stabilization.

PEDT:PSSA dispersions can be further stabilized by polymeric stericstabilizers during the polymerization. Coagulation or gel formation issignificantly reduced due to the insensitivity of the stericallystabilized system to the fluctuations and increases in electrolyteconcentration. In addition, high solids dispersions can be produced bythis method due to the higher stabilizing effect of steric stabilizers.

The polystyrene sulfonic acid has a preferred molecular weight of atleast about 500 to no more than about 500,000. Below a molecular weightof about 500 film integrity can be affected and above a molecular weightof about 500,000 conductivity and viscosity can be adversely affected.

Particularly preferred polymeric steric stabilizers comprise linkinggroups which, upon formation of a coated layer, crosslink therebyproviding an interlinked matrix which functions as a binder therebyproviding a coated layer with a suitable structural integrity. Stericstabilzers with a reactive functionality can be employed for postpolymerization crosslinking with polyanion. Any reactive stericstabilizer with a reactive functionality which is stable during thepolymerization reaction can be used. Examples of such reactivestabilizers are hydroxyl and dihydroxy end capped polybutadiene.Precursors of reactive steric stabilizer can also be employed for postpolymerization activation of the steric stabilizer reactive group.

As used herein, the terminology “steric stabilizer” refers to compoundswhich are adsorbed to the polymer particles of the dispersion andprotective layers around the respective particles to preventagglomeration of the particles.

Suitable steric stabilizers include, for example, protective colloidsand nonionic surfactants having a hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB)greater than about 10. Hydrophilic/lipophilic balance is a measure ofthe degree to which a material is hydrophilic or lipophilic.

For the purposes of the present invention the Griffin's method is usedfor determining the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance wherein HLB isdefined as:

HLB=20*Mh/M

wherein:Mh is the molecular mass of the hydrophilic portion of the molecule andM is the molecular mass of the molecule. An HLB value of greater thanabout 10 is a water soluble, lipid insoluble, molecule.

Suitable protective colloids include polyethylene oxide, fullyhydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol, partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol),poly(vinyl pyrollidone), hydroxyethyl cellulose, polyethylene oxidecopolymers and their derivatives,and mixtures thereof. Polyethyleneoxide is preferred. Suitable nonionic surfactants include ethoxylatedalkyl phenols, ethoxylated acetylenic diols, polyethyleneoxide-propylene oxide block copolymers as well as mixtures thereof.Steric stabilizers are preferably added to the polymerization reactionas solutions in water or other polar solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide, ethylene glycol, N-methyl pyrrolidone, etc.

Another advantage of the use of stator rotors during polymerization isthat no post polymerization binder addition is necessary since thepolymeric steric stabilizers provide adequate coating performance.Coatings prepared from conventional ICP dispersions prepared byconventional methods without binders tend to crack primarily due to thepresence of agglomerated particles. Agglomeration of the particles issignificantly reduced by the use of steric stabilizers in thepolymerization reaction. The absence of post polymerization binder alsoeliminates the presence of unwanted electrolytes or ionics, as part ofthe binders, in the final formulation. Post polymerization binderaddition in prior art dispersions may not produce an intimately mixedformulation which could affect percolation and thus equivalent seriesresistance (ESR) if used as the cathode in a capacitor. In contrast,polymerization with polymeric steric stabilizers results in amolecularly mixed miscible formulation.

Purification of the polymer by ion exchange is preferred resulting in afinal formulation with insignificant amounts of mobile ionic species.Another advantage is that the final formulation is produced in one step.

The mixing is preferably done in an inert atmosphere with nitrogen beingpreferred due to cost considerations. A higher flow rate is preferred.While not limited to any theory, it is hypothesized that the inertatmosphere minimizes oxidation.

The stator rotor will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Amixer, 20, is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 5A wherein a paddle mixer, 40,is attached to a shaft, 41, coupled to a motor, 42. As illustrated inFIG. 6, which is a perspective bottom view of the stator rotor, thestator screen, 10, encases the paddle mixer. As the paddle mixer rotatesmaterial flows into the interior of the stator screen and is forced outthrough the holes of the stator screen, as depicted in FIG. 7, therebycausing shear which creates small droplets of monomer. The monomer isthen polymerized to form polymer particles with a particle size which iscorrelated to the droplet size.

The process for forming a capacitor will be described with reference toFIG. 9 wherein the process is represented schematically. In FIG. 9, adroplet of monomer is formed at 100 preferably by a stator rotor asdefined herein. The droplets are then polymerized to form a polymer at102. An anode is prepared at 104 wherein the anode is a conductor, andpreferably a valve metal. A dielectric is formed on the anode at 106wherein the preferred dielectric is an oxide of the anode. A conductivelayer of the polymer is formed on the dielectric at 108 thereby forminga conductive couple with a dielectric there between. The polymer may bepolymerized to form a polymer dispersion wherein the polymer dispersionis coated on the dielectric such as by dipping. Alternatively, thepolymer may be subjected to shearing, as set forth herein, to formdroplets wherein the droplets are deposited on the surface of thedielectric and polymerized in-situ. The capacitor is finished at 110wherein finishing can include but is not limited to testing, formingexternal terminations, encapsulating and the like.

The anode material is not limited herein. A particularly preferred anodematerial is a metal and a particularly preferred metal is a valve metalor a conductive oxide of a valve metal. Particularly preferred anodesinclude niobium, aluminum, tantalum and NbO without limit thereto.

The dielectric is not particularly limited herein. A particularlypreferred dielectric is an oxide of the anode due to manufacturingconsiderations.

Throughout the description the term “equivalent hole diameter” orequivalent diameter” refers to a hole wherein the cross-sectional areais the same as that of a circle with the stated diameter.

EXAMPLES Comparative Example 1

A 4 L plastic jar, provided with a cooling jacket, was initially chargedwith 125 g of polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA), 3375 g of DI water, 28.5g of 1% iron(III) sulphate, and 21.5 g of sodium peroxodisulphate. Thecontents were mixed using a stirrer as shown in FIG. 1. Subsequently,11.25 g. of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) was added dropwise. Thereaction mixture was stirred continuously for an additional 23 hours.The shear speed was adjusted to 2100 RPM. The shear speed was 2100 RPMsince a vortex was not capable above 2100 RPM with the reaction mixtureand volume.

The viscosity of the dispersion was measured using a Brookfieldviscometer. The particle size was measured using a disk centrifugeparticle size analyzer from CPS intruments. The conductivity wasmeasured by coating the dispersion with 8% DMSO on a glass slidefollowed by drying at 150° C. and measuring the resistance by a fourpoint probe.

Comparative Example 2

The experiment was repeated similar to Comparative Example 1 except thatthe stirrer used was a high shear impeller shown in FIG. 2. The shearspeed was 900 RPM since the liquid vortex was not stable above 900 RPMwith the reaction mixture and volume.

Inventive Example 1

A 4 L plastic jar, provided with a cooling jacket, was initially chargedwith 125 g of PSSA, 3375 g of DI water, 28.5 g of 1% iron(III) sulphate,and 21.5 g of sodium peroxodisulphate. The input percent solid was1.37%. The contents were mixed using a rotor—stator mixing system withperforated stator screen with square holes with a size of 2.54 mm.Subsequently, 11.25 g of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) was addeddropwise. The reaction mixture was sheared continuously with a varyingshear speed from 3000 RPM to 6000 RPM with the rotor-stator mixingsystem for an additional 23 hours. The dispersion was treated withcationic and anionic exchanger and filtered. The viscosity of thedispersion was measured using a Brookfield RVII viscometer using spindlenumber 3. The particle size was measured using a disk centrifugeparticle size analyzer from CPS instruments with particle size reportedas weight median herein. The conductivity was measured by coating thedispersion with 8% DMSO on a glass slide followed by drying at 150° C.and measuring the resistance by a four point probe. Inductively coupledplasma was used to determine the residual iron and sodium in thedispersion.

Inventive Example 2

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except thatthe shear speed was fixed at 6000 RPM throughout the reaction.

Inventive Example 3

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except that aperforated stator screen with circular holes with diameter of 1.6 mm wasused.

Inventive Example 4

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except thatthe percent input solid was changed from 1.3 to 1.79%

Inventive Example 5

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except thatthe percent input soldi was increased to 1.79%

Inventive Example 6

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except thatthe percent input soldi was changed from increased to to 2.6%

Inventive Example 7

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except thatthe percent input soldi was changed from increased to to 3.2%

Inventive Example 8

The experiment was repeated similar to Inventive Example 1 except thatthe percent solids was increased to 2.3% and a steric stabilizerpolyethylene oxide (40 g, 1%) was added to the reaction mixture.

The results for Comparative Examples 1 and 2 and Inventive Examples 1-5are in Tables 1-4.

TABLE 1 Comparative examples Mean particle Viscosity, cP Process Shear(RPM) size (nm) @20 RPM Comparative Example 1 2100 488 85 ComparativeExample 2 900 478 345

TABLE 2 Inventive examples - Control of particle size Rotational speedMean (RPM) and Shear particle Viscosity, cP Process Rate (sec⁻¹) size(nm) @20 RPM Inventive Example 1 3000-6000 ramped 237 320(21,800-43,600) Inventive Example 2 6000 fixed 110 145 (43,600)Inventive Example 3 6000-10000 ramped 85 100 (43,600--72,600)

TABLE 3 Inventive examples - Higher solids and higher viscosityprocessability % input Shear rate during Viscosity, cP ConductivityProcess solids polymerization @20 RPM (s/cm) Inventive 1.3 43600 sec⁻¹145 150 Example 2 Inventive 1.79 43600 sec⁻¹ 1560 180 Example 4Inventive 2.6 43600 sec⁻¹ 3065 220 Example 5 Inventive 3.6  43600 sec−15890 270 Example 6

TABLE 4 Inventive examples - steric stabilizer processability Rotationalspeed (RPM) Viscosity, and Shear Percent cP @20 Process Rate (sec⁻¹)solid RPM Inventive Example 2 6000 fixed 1.3 145 (43,600) InventiveExample 5 3000-6000 2.3 3700 ramped (21,800-43,600)

Inventive Experiment 1 was repeated with stator screens having differinghole sizes to demonstrate the particle size achieved. The results arepresented in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Effect of shear rate and stator screen diameter on the PEDT:PSSAparticle size 6000 RPM + 10000 RPM Stator screen hole 3000 RPM 6000 RPM(1 hr) (43600- equivalent diameter (21800 sec⁻¹) (43600 sec⁻¹) 72600sec⁻¹) 9.5 mm 472 nm 270 nm 2.54 mm  318 nm 151 nm 72 nm 1.6 mm 166 nm108 nm 80 nm

The inventive examples demonstrate that the particle size and theviscosity can be controlled by the intelligent choice of stator screens,shear speed, and reaction conditions. These examples also demonstratethat a particle size below about 150 nm, and more preferably below about100 nm, can be prepared by proper choice of the stator screen diameter.Furthermore, these examples demonstrate that a higher solids dispersionswith high viscosity can be prepared using this mixer system. It was alsosurprisingly found that the conductivity can be increased by increasingthe input % solid. Prior art conductive polymerization conditions lackthe capability of processing high solid dispersions due to highviscosity and thus the artisan has not been not able to discover theconductive enhancement obtained by increasing percent input solid

Inventive Example 9

A 4 L plastic jar, provided with a cooling jacket, was initially chargedwith 125 g of PSSA, 3375 g of DI water, 28.5 g of 1% iron(III) sulphate,and 21.5 g of sodium peroxodisulphate. Polyethylene oxide (40 gm, 10%)was used as a steric stabilizer in this example. The contents were mixedusing a rotor—stator mixing system with a perforated stator screen withsquare holes with a size of 2.54 mm. Subsequently, 11.25 g of3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene was added dropwise. The reaction mixture wascontinued to be sheared with a varying shear speed from 3000 RPM to 6000RPM with the rotor-stator mixing system for additional 23 hours.Conductivity enhancing additives such as DMSO and other additives suchas silane coupling agents can be added to the reaction mixture in thefinal hour of the reaction or optionally added after the ion exchangetreatment. The dispersion was treated with a cationic and anionicexchanger and filtered. The conductive polymer dispersion thus preparedwas directly coated on a solid electrolytic capacitor. For the prior artcomparative examples, a commercial conductive polymer dispersion and aPEDT:PSSA dispersion prepared by prior art method followed by adding abinder, was compared with the inventive example. Equivalent SeriesResistance (ESR) of the comparative and inventive parts are shown inTable 6.

TABLE 6 Comparative and inventive example from Example 9 Prior ArtPresent Clevios KV2 PEDOT:PSSA Invention Post With Post PEDOT:PSSApolymerization polymerization with steric Process binder binder additionstabilizer Pre RBI ESR (mohm) 42.8 38.78 NA (Batch 1) Pre RBI ESR (mohm)NA 45.8 42 (Batch 2) Pre RBI Leakage 43.8 5.44 NA (microamp) (Batch 1)Pre RBI Leakage NA 4.1 1.69 (microamp) (Batch 2)

Inventive Example 10

A 4 L plastic jar, provided with a cooling jacket, was initially chargedwith 125 g of PSSA, 3375 g of DI water, 28.5 g of 1% iron(III) sulphate,and 21.5 g of sodium peroxodisulphate. The contents were mixed using arotor—stator mixing system with a perforated stator screen with squareholes with a size of 2.54 mm or an equivalent circular area of 6.54 mm².Subsequently, 11.25 g of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene was added dropwise.The reaction mixture was sheared continuously with a varying shear speedfrom 3000 RPM to 6000 RPM with the rotor-stator mixing system for anadditional 23 hours. The dispersion was treated with a cationic andanionic exchanger and filtered. The conductive polymer dispersion thusprepared was divided into four groups. Group A was used as filtered forthe final dispersion formulation. Group B was homogenized using aSilverson rotor-stator mixer at a shear rate of 51,000 sec⁻¹ for 30 min.Group C was homogenized using a Branson ultrasound sonifier at 50%amplitude for 5 min. Group D was homogenized using the same sonifier atthe same amplitude for 30 min. The conductive dispersions thus preparedusing each method were mixed with conductive enhancers and additivesseparately and coated on a solid electrolytic 33 microfarad, 25Vcapacitor. Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) of the parts from group A,B, C, D are shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7 Comparative and inventive example from Example 10 Example 10 ESR(miliohms) (group A-D) Details after encapsulation Group A No postpolymerization 38.14 homogenization Group B Homogenized using 39.83silverson @ 51,000 sec−1 Group C Homogenized using 51.81 Bransonsonifier 50%, 5 min Group D Branson sonifier 50%, 59.56 30 min

It can be seen that the postpolymerization homogenization methods havehigher ESR. It can be further seen that the homogenization by ultrasoundsonication gave significantly higher ESR than the parts withouthomogenization or with rotor-stator high shear rate homogenization.These results also suggest that polymerization using a rotor-statormethod gives lower ESR than polymerization in a ultrasound irradiationcondition.

The invention has been described with reference to preferred embodimentswithout limit thereto. One of skill in the art would realize additionalembodiments and alterations which are not specifically stated but whichare within the scope of the invention as more specifically set forth inthe claims appended hereto.

Claimed is:
 1. A process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion comprising: providing a monomer solution; shearing said monomer solution with a rotor-stator mixing system comprising a perforated stator screen having perforations thereby forming droplets of said monomer; polymerizing said droplets of said monomer during said shearing to form said conductive polymer dispersion.
 2. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said monomer solution further comprises an oxidant.
 3. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said perforations have an equivalent diameter of at least 0.25 mm.
 4. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 3 wherein said perforations have an equivalent diameter of no more than 6 mm.
 5. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 4 wherein said perforations have an equivalent diameter of no more than 3 mm.
 6. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing of said monomer is in the presence of at least one anion.
 7. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 6 wherein said anion is a polyanion.
 8. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 7 wherein said polyanion is polystyrene sulfonic acid.
 9. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 8 wherein said polystyrene sulfonic acid has a molecular weight of at least 500 to no more than 500,000.
 10. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said shearing during polymerization is at a shear rate of at least 10,000 to no more than 800,000 sec⁻¹.
 11. The for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim of claim 10 wherein shear rate is at least 40,000, to no more than 75,000 sec⁻¹.
 12. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said dispersion has a percent solids of at least 1.0 wt % to no more than 5 wt %.
 13. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 12 wherein said dispersion has a percent solids of at least 1.3%.
 14. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 13 wherein said dispersion has a percent solids of at least 1.7%.
 15. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said dispersion has a viscosity of at least 200 cP@20 RPM to no more than 4000 cP@20 RPM.
 16. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 15 wherein said dispersion has a viscosity of at least 2000 cP@20 RPM.
 17. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said conductive polymer dispersion comprises a conductive polymer with an average particle size below 200 nm.
 18. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 17 wherein said conductive polymer has an average particle size below 150 nm.
 19. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 18 wherein said conductive polymer has an average particle size below 100 nm.
 20. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said perforations have a minimum dimension of at least 1 mm to no more than about 3 mm.
 21. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 20 wherein said perforations have a minimum dimension of at least 1.2 mm to no more than about 2.5 mm.
 22. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said hole equivalent diameters are at least 1.2 mm to no more than about 6 mm.
 23. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said polymerizing is in inert atmosphere.
 24. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said polymerization of said droplets of said monomer is in the presence of at least one steric stabilizer.
 25. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 24 wherein said steric stabilizer has a hydrophilic/lipophilic balance of at least
 10. 26. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 24 wherein said steric stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene oxide, fully hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrollidone), hydroxyethyl cellulose and polyethylene oxide copolymers and their derivatives.
 27. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 26 wherein said steric stabilizer is polyethylene oxide.
 28. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 1 wherein said conductive polymer dispersion comprises at least one optionally substituted polymer selected from polypyrrole, polyaniline and polythiophene.
 29. A process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion comprising: providing a monomer; mechanically mixing said monomer to form droplets comprising said monomer; and polymerizing said monomer in said droplet with an oxidizer thereby forming conductive polymer particles with a particle size of no more than 200 nm.
 30. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 29 further comprising providing a polyanion with said monomer.
 31. The process for preparing a conducitve polymer dispersion of claim 30 wherein said polyanion is polystyrene sulfonic acid.
 32. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 31 wherein said polystyrene sulfonic acid has a molecular weight of at least 500 to no more than 200,000.
 33. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 29 wherein at least one conductive polymer is an optionally substituted polypyrrole, an optionally substituted polyaniline or an optionally substituted polythiophene.
 34. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 33 wherein said conductive polymer is polyethlenedioxythiophene.
 35. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 29 further comprising: providing at least one steric stabilizer with said monomer.
 36. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 35 wherein said steric stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene oxide, fully hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinyl pyrollidone), hydroxyethyl cellulose, ethoxylated alkyl phenols, ethoxylated acetylenic diols, and polyethylene oxide copolymers.
 37. The process for preparing a conductive polymer dispersion of claim 36 wherein said steric stabilizer is polyethylene oxide.
 38. A method for preparing a dispersion of conducting polymer comprising: providing a solution comprising a monomer and a polyanion; shearing said solution at a shear rate of at least 10,000 to no more than 800,000 sec⁻¹ to form droplets; mixing said droplets with at least one oxidizing agent; polymerizing said monomer in said droplet to form said dispersion of polymer.
 39. The method for preparing a dispersion of conducting polymer of claim 38 wherein said solution further comprises a steric stabilizer.
 40. The method for preparing a dispersion of conducting polymer of claim 38 wherein said shear rate is at least 40,000 to no more than 75,000 sec⁻¹,
 41. The method for preparing a dispersion of conducting polymer of claim 38 where said shearing is by a rotor stator.
 42. The method for preparing a dispersion of conducting polymer of claim 38 where rotor stator is slected from the group consisting of single stage batch mixer, single stage inline mixer, multiple stage and multi rowed rotor stator mixers.
 43. The method for preparing a dispersion of conducting polymer of claim 38 wherein said solution has a solids content of at least 1.0 wt % solid to no more than 5 wt % solid.
 44. A capacitor made by the process of: providing an anode with a dielectric thereon; forming a dispersion of conducting polymer by the method of claim 29; applying said dispersion of conducting polymer to said anode thereby forming a layer over said dielectric; and drying said layer.
 45. The capacitor of claim 44 wherein said process comprises providing said monomer with an anion.
 46. The capacitor of claim 44 wherein said process comprises providing said monomer with a steric stabilizer.
 47. A method of forming a capacitor comprising: providing a solution comprising a monomer and a polyanion; shearing said solution at a shear rate of 10,000 to 800,000 sec⁻¹ to form droplets; mixing said droplets with at least one oxidizing agent polymerizing said droplets of said monomer to form a polymer; providing an anode with a dielectric over said anode; and forming a cathode of said polymer on said dielectric.
 48. The method of forming a capacitor of claim 47 wherein said forming said cathode is after said forming said polymer.
 49. The method of forming a capacitor of claim 47 wherein said solution further comprises a steric stabilizer. 